"America's Finest City" is out of the running to host the 34th America's Cup, leaving San Francisco as the sole candidate in the U.S. to host the prestigious sailing tournament, it was announced today.
San Diego was eliminated along with Newport, R.I., which both previously hosted the America's Cup, and Long Beach, the site of the 1984 Olympic yachting regatta, according to the Golden Gate Yacht Club, whose team, BMW Oracle Racing, won the 33rd America's Cup in Valencia, Spain in February.
"Our team has said from the outset that San Francisco and the Bay Area have the potential to provide a superb stage on which to host a memorable America's Cup," said Russell Coutts, chief executive officer of BMW Oracle Racing.
The team's owner, Larry Ellison, co-founder of the software company Oracle Corp., has called San Francisco Bay "a fantastic natural amphitheater" to host the regatta.
Under the tournament's rules, the winner of the last America's Cup gets to pick the next venue.
According to the Golden Gate Yacht Club, four European countries are also being considered to host the 34th America's Cup, which will be held in 2013 or 2014.
San Diego hosted the America's Cup in 1988, 1992 and 1995.
